Page:EB1922 - Volume 31.djvu/686

646 Chemicals. The manufacture of chemicals in Japan does not owe its inception to the war, but its great development and the many innovations introduced were the direct result of war-time condi- tions. There was, however, a sharp decline in the prosperity of the chemical industry immediately after the Armistice. In 1916 the Japanese Government set up a subsidized company for the pro- duction of glycerine, entitled the Glycerine Industry Co., and, as the result of extensive investigations at the Industrial Institute into the qualities of sea-weeds and vegetable ash, the production of basic chloridized alkali increased from 2,000 tons in 1913 to 10,000 tons in 1917. The match industry, which formerly derived chlorate of potash from European sources, by the end of 1917 was able to depend on the home supply. In that year there were over 50 factories in existence, producing 10,000 tons of chlorate of potash, which in quality compared favourably with the imported article.

The soda industry, although it existed as long ago as 1880, did not reach a high standard of technical perfection before the war and also failed to satisfy the total annual requirements in caustic soda, amounting to about 25,000 tons. During the war, however, the number of factories increased to about 20, and the annual production rose to 14,000 tons in 1918 and 20,000 tons in the following year.

Some of the chief products in the chemical industry are : sulphuric, hydrochloric and nitric acids, sodium sulphate, carbonate of soda, caustic soda, iodine, potassium iodine, potassium chlorate and chloride, ammonium sulphate, acetic acid, acetone and wood spirit. Table 15 indicates the growth of the industry. Table 15. Chemical Industry

Year

No. of Factories

Employees

Value of Products Yen

Male

Female

1908

36

1,605

52

2,740,441

1909

143

1,902

159

4-356,718

1910

218

2,436

1 68

^,890,043

1911

230

2,57

223

6,406,024

1912

237

2,449

212

5,646,356

1913

341

3-089

2 7 6

7-687,232

1914

402

3,048

134

7,583,782

1915

468

4,708

407

16,717,143

1916

717

9,422

88 3

37,848,244

1917

832

12,435

9OO

42,494,620

1918

841

12,781

I ,O26

47-39.696

Agriculture. The movement of the agrarian population towards the cities, a familiar phenomenon in most European countries, found its counterpart in Japan during 1910-20. The increase in pop. was about 7,000,000, or roughly 14%, so that it might reasonably have been expected that a corresponding increase would take place in the number of persons engaged in agriculture. The figures, however, show the reverse, as in 1908 there were 5,408,363 persons and in 1918 5,476,784 in the category in question, the increase being only lj%. During 1916 and 1917, when Japan was putting forth her greatest effort in producing munitions of war for the Allies, the number of those actually holding land decreased to the extent of 20,800 and 36,400 respectively, whilst in 1918, when the war boom in industry was practically over, the gain to agriculture was only 20,200 persons.

The relative proportion of farmers cultivating their own land, tenant farmers, and farmers combining tenantship with cultivation, showed little variation in the decade, as is shown by Table 16.

Table 1 6. Farmers and Tenant Farmers

Farmers cultivating own land

Tenant farmers

Farmers combining tenantship

1908 1918.

33-27% 30-98%

27-5"-

28-31 ,;,

39-15% 40-71 %

The high proportion of small holders in Japan is characteristic of the agricultural life of the country. Table 17 shows that the varia- tion in this proportion has remained practically negligible. Table 17. Percentage Proportion of Land Holders

Under 1-23 ac.

Over 1-23 ac.

\ rr

2-45 ac.

Over 4-90 ac.

Over 7-35 ac.

Over 12-25 ac.

1908.

1918.

37-28 35-54

32-61

33-3

I9-5I 20-70

6-44 6-33

3-01 2-82

I-'5 I-3I

Rice still remains the staple food of the country, and the area under cultivation is nearly twice that devoted to the production of barley, rye and wheat. Intensive cultivation of all crops is carried out, and the limit of return has actually been reached in some cases. In the decade from 1908 to 1918 an additional 418,515 ac. were under rice cultivation, and the yield per acre only fell fractionally from 36-4^2 to 36-24 bushels. In barley and rye the cultivated area showed a slight drop, but in wheat there was an increase of 242,376 ac., the yield per acre showing an increase in all three cases. Little progress as far as yield is concerned was obtained with millet, the area under cultivation also decreasing. The production of potatoes was prac- tically doubled during the decade, although the yield per acre was not so satisfactory.

Cotton, hemp and indigo were all retrogressive, the cotton chiefly owing to the large imports of cheaper cotton from abroad. Table 18 shows the acreage of the chief food products under cultivation at the beginning and end of the decade, and also the position with regard to certain special crops.

Table 19 shows, by index-numbers based on the year 1912, the rise in prices of commodities in Japan between 1912 and 1919.

Table 18. Principal Crops

Area in Acres

Production

1908

1918

1908

1918

Bus.

Bus.

Rice

7.159,850

7,578,365

259,669,465

273,495435

Barley

1,578,203

1,308,983*

47,219-585

49-175,375

Rye

1.687,213

1.583,586*

37,893,020

38,103,475

Wheat.

1,101,467

1,343,843*

22,062,225

31,804,235

Millet.

719,178

560,981

17,141,625

I4,5H,970

Beans

1,659,682

1-456,9/5

27,378,725

25,112,525

Buckwheat

4 5,579

333,966

6,170,890

4,261,825

Rape-seed

359,738

284,936

6,096,350

4,284,400

Tons

Tons

Potatoes

148,705

323,621

567,055

1,195,315

Sweet Potatoes

745,799

754,223

3,556,229

3,388,664

Cotton.

12,934

6,197

4,120

2,513

Hemp

33,io

28,960

8,606

9,460

Indigo (leaf).

29,809

13,647

20,730

10,029

Sugar-cane

42,344

7i,95o

631.058

1.165,113

This figure is the 1919 acreage.

Table 19. Prices of Commodities

1912

1914

1916

1917

1918

1919

Rice

IOO

77

66

95

156

219

Wheat

IOO

99

IOO

124

203

203

Soya Beans ....

IOO

IOO

99

124

162

198

Salt

IOO

93

90

103

1 2O

135

Soy

IOO

97

88

9i

106

1 68

White Sugar

IOO

99

no

"5

129

1 80

Sake

IOO

93

IOO

in

130

179

Tea

IOO

1 02

104

in

139

213

Beef

IOO

97

98

141

202

248

Eggs

IOO

IOO

95

"3

163

224

Milk .....

IOO

95

89

i5

134

174

Cut Tobacco

IOO

101

101

1 02

"5

127

Cotton Yarn

IOO

81

101

191

253

371

Raw Silk ....

IOO

98

124

136

162

220

Hemp

IOO

85

90

107

126

I8 7

Silk Tissues ....

IOO

94

1 08

155

172

215

Cedar Square Timber

IOO

97

123

146

212

240

Pig-iron ....

IOO

IOO

244

569

I, OO6

425

Petroleum ....

IOO

104

141

140

217

277

Coal

IOO

H5

132

276

399

416

Firewood ....

IOO

95

97

103

165

241

Charcoal ....

IOO

107

in

120

209

2 7 8

Seed Oil ....

IOO

92

108

I6 4

216

227

Paper

IOO

103

107

II.3

170

197

Average ....

IOO

97

107

I 4 6

208

237

Railways. The first railway line in Japan was opened to traffic in 1872, subsequent developments of the railways being chiefly in the hands of private companies. In March 1906 the Railway Nationalization Law was enacted, and in the next two years the Government gradually assumed control of some 17 of the leading railway companies. On the completion of nationalization, the Government possessed 4,371 m. of railway, representing a capital of 700,000,000 yen. By the end of 1917 the process of absorption was practically complete.

The decade 1910-20 witnessed an increase of over 31% in the mileage of the State railway system (from 4,624 m. to 6,073 m.), and in the same period the number of passengers carried was more than double (from 128 millions to 288 millions). A marked advance in receipts was seen in the years 1917-9, partly owing to increased fares and partly to the large number of additional passengers carried under war conditions.

Tramways. The number of electric tramway undertakings, both owned by municipalities and by private companies, showed a remarkable increase in the decade, from 34 in 1910 to 74 in 1919. The mileage rose from 367 to 1,059; an d passengers carried from 328 millions to 1,225 millions. Further progress should be seen when it is possible to realize some tentative schemes which were being dis- cussed in 1921 for utilizing hydro-electric power to a greater extent. iapan is well endowed by nature with waterfalls, many of which ave already been harnessed.

Posts. The postal service of Japan has developed steadily, both in extent and efficiency, since 1908. There are three grades of post- office, known as first, second and third class: the first class is confined to the larger cities, such as Tokyo and Osaka, and these offices not only act as supervising offices for those of lower category, but also control maritime affairs in their respective districts. The